Btn Take Ten Podcast

Blake Lawrence, former Husker linebacker and current Co-founder/CEO of the athlete marketing platform Opendorse, joined Alex Roux in New York City at the Hashtag Sports conference to discuss his path from Big Ten athlete to entrepreneur. Lawrence also shared how connections and experiences playing at Nebraska helped him build a company that has grown from Lincoln-based startup to national leader in the sports industry.

Two former Big Ten Basketball players - Ohio State's Jae'Sean Tate (3:30-33:50) and Michigan's Stu Douglass (34:16-end)- joined the show and reflected on their playing careers, discussed their current hoop lives and previewed their upcoming participation in The Basketball Tournament on a squad with mostly Big Ten players.

A pair of former four-year Big Ten basketball players joined the show as Dakota Mathias (3:30-19:33) and Bryant McIntosh (20:50) discussed their preparations for the pros, their college careers, their mutual training regimen in an Indiana barn and more.

It's an all-Wisconsin episode as former Wisconsin forwards Brian Butch (3:39-42:15) and Duje Dukan (43:09-1:15:30) joined the show to reflect on their respective eras in Madison. Butch hopped on first and discussed playing in the McDonald's All-American Game with LeBron James, his evolution into an All-Big Ten player at Wisconsin, the 2003-2008 seasons, Bo Ryan stories and more. Then, Dukan joined the show and chatted about his role on back-to-back Final Four teams in 2014-15, that special squad's development as a group, his childhood days as a Chicago Bulls ball boy and some Bo Ryan stories of his own.

Former Illinois QB Juice Williams joined the show in-studio to discuss what he's been up to post-football (3:10), his athletic upbringing in Chicago (13:48), his Rose Bowl run at Illinois(20:52) and more.

Former Penn State defensive back and current Chicago Bears safety Adrian Amos joined Alex Roux in-studio to discuss his upbringing in Baltimore, his career at Penn State, his ascension to becoming one of the best safeties in the NFL with the Bears, his thoughts on the new Avengers movie and more.

Former Penn State lineman and current Arizona Cardinals center AQ Shipley joined the show to discuss some recent big developments in his life, his time at Penn State, his path to NFL mainstay and more.

Former Iowa linebacker A.J. Edds joined Alex Roux to discuss his life since retiring from the NFL - including his current gig with the Big Ten Conference - his experiences playing for one of the best teams in the Kirk Ferentz era, his NFL Draft experiences and more.

University of Illinois alum and media jack of all trades Will Leitch joined the Take Ten Podcast to discuss his many roles in sports and media, his road to success, founding the sports website Deadspin and the current sports media landscape. Plus, plenty of Illinois sports talk, including why Will is optimistic about his alma mater's future in football and basketball.

Former All-Big Ten Nebraska wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp joined the show to talk about his career progression since graduating in 2016, his signing with the CFL's Toronto Argonauts, the Huskers' spring season under Scott Frost and more.

A collection of short interviews from Alex Roux's weekend at the Final Four, including Illinois head coach Brad Underwood (7:33), CBS' Clark Kellogg (14:33) and Bill Raftery (17:15), Michigan walk-on CJ Baird (18:30), The Ringer's Mark Titus (21:05), Big Cat of Barstool Sports (26:20), Charles Barkley (27:36) and reaction from the Michigan locker room following their loss in the national championship (28:45)

Former Michigan guard and star of the 2013 national championship Spike Albrecht re-joined the show to discuss his Wolverines' return to the Final Four and preview the upcoming weekend in San Antonio. (5:18-22:52). Then, BTN researcher Harold Shelton jumped on for his regular Stat Head segment to dissect the Final Four--especially the Michigan/Loyola matchup--by the numbers. (23:40-36:52).

Yahoo Sports bracketologist Brad Evans brought the noise to the Take Ten Podcast and helped make sense of the opening weekend madness from the NCAA tournament. He also evaluated Purdue's and Michigan's chances to advance and explained why he has the Wolverines in his title game. And before all that, he explained how he transitioned from a history teacher for at-risk youth in Central Illinois to Fantasy Football expert and bracketologist.

Richard Deitsch of The Athletic and Sportsnet 590 The Fan in Toronto sat down with Alex Roux in New York City to discuss his career path, his one-year fellowship at the University of Michigan, sports media podcasting, his developing career changes and more

A series of short interviews from the stands at the Big Ten Tournament at Madison Square Garden with five influential personalities in sports. MLB.com and NY Mag writer WIll Leitch (5:15-8:03), Purdue student reporter and cancer survivor Tyler Trent (9:00-11:20), NBA trainer Chris Brickley and House of Highlights founder Omar Raja (12:15-15:25) and Doug Gottlieb (15:50) all joined the show throughout the tournament.

As the Big Ten Tournament heads to New York City, Alex Roux caught up with Steve Lavin (6:10-27:55), who discussed coaching in Madison Square Garden and his time as an assistant at Purdue. Then, 1997 Big East Tournament MVP and 1999 Big Ten Player of the Year Scoonie Penn joined (29:22-38:30) joined to discuss playing in The Garden and his first year on the Ohio State staff. Finally, Erik Haslam of Haslametrics.com went behind the numbers to project what B1G bubble teams need to accomplish this week and which teams look poised to perform well in March (41:00-57:55).

Former Indiana guard Verdell Jones joined the show to talk about his career arc, his role in the "Wat Shot", the current state of Hoosier basketball and more. (4:46-37:17) Then, BTN researcher Harold Shelton jumped on for his regular Stat Head segment to break down the remaining scenarios for the Big Ten title race, the Big Ten Tournament and March Madness' bubble watch. (38:12-49:45).

Mike Hall - an original Big Ten Network studio host and creator of Sports Lite - joined the show to discuss his career path, including kicking off his career by winning ESPN's Dream Job show. Hall also chatted about BTN and the current state of Big Ten hoops. (3:30-52:00). Then, BTN researcher Harold Shelton jumped on for his weekly Stat Head segment to break down the home stretch of Big Ten hoops and all the possible title race and postseason scenarios. (53:00-1:06:00).

Call this The Kevin Episode as two famous Kevins joined the show. First, Tampa Bay Rays center fielder and Purdue Superfan Kevin Kiermaier called in immediately after Purdue's loss to Ohio State to discuss Boilermaker hoops, his Purdue fandom and Major League Baseball. (5:10-37:10) Then, play-by-play announcer Kevin Kugler joined the show after he called Wednesday's Purdue/Ohio State game to discuss the game of the year in the Big Ten. Plus, Kugler talked Nebraska and the hype surrounding the surprise Husker hoops team and Scott Frost. (38:55-1:05:12)

Six-year NFL veteran and former Illinois DB Tavon Wilson joined the show to discuss his title-winning experience with the New England Patriots during Super Bowl XLIX--from the media frenzy to the game, the flight home and the ensuing parade. Plus, Wilson shares some insight into how Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the Patriots are so successful. (3:05-22:24). Then, BTN researcher Harold Shelton joined for his regular Stat Head segment to stay caught up on the unfolding Big Ten basketball season. (23:00-38:15).